Category: Bipolar Disorder

Mood Tracking During Therapy

Mood Tracking During Therapy

Therapists are useful in helping a consumer understand how one is feeling and thinking, this is also known as talk therapy. Many issues are discussed and it has been proven useful to help with stability and managing symptoms. But what do you do when you’re struggling...

Paranoia

Dear friends,Have you ever felt like you just didn’t know how to act in recovery? Were you worried about the actions you took may raise red flags to those around you? That pretty much sums up my entire year after my first hospitalization. Thankfully, I’ve...

Bipolar Disorder Recovery – Don’t Forget Grief

Bipolar Disorder Recovery – Don’t Forget Grief

Life was moving along pretty well for me—that is until bipolar disorder found its way to my door.  From that point on things started to get very difficult.  At first I was hit with severe manic episodes only to fall down so low I found myself knocked down...

Yoga Helps Me to Connect the Dots

Yoga Helps Me to Connect the Dots

Yoga Helps Me to Connect the DotsLast month I pulled a muscle in my neck while reaching into the backseat at a stop light for a book my son had dropped and couldn’t reach. Well I couldn’t reach it either, apparently, injuring myself pretty badly. After dealing with...

Media and Mental Illness

            I recently read a blog post from the Huffington Post by a Ms. Natasha Tracy (1). Her post centered around a claim that portrayals of people with neurodiverse conditions in the media tends to focus on overly polarized...

The Dreads Arrival

Today, despite it being summer and my not having to rush my two girls to school, I woke up in a big ‘ol funk.  At 5:00 a.m. our precocious Lucy, now a thirteen-week-old bundle of energy, acted as a canine alarm clock and woke me up.  She was raring to...

Four Reasons Why Yoga Makes Me Feel Better

Yoga makes me feel better! Here are some reasons why:1. Yoga helps me sleep better. Snooze. Boring. Boo. Who wants to talk about the importance of sleep at the very beginning of a blog? (Quick! Raise your hand!) Yoga, Restorative Yoga (passive, slow Yoga) in...

Putting First Things First

Information on the internet about bipolar disorder seems to be booming right now – that and everything else. Much of this information is coming from individuals like myself – moms that blog. There’s one problem with this: not only are moms inherently busy, but bipolar...

Putting First Things First

Information on the internet about bipolar disorder seems to be booming right now – that and everything else. Much of this information is coming from individuals like myself – moms that blog. There’s one problem with this: not only are moms inherently busy, but bipolar...

I am a Doer

I am a doer. I don’t like to sit around and watch things get done. I like to jump in with both feet and try my hardest to help out. This gets me in trouble sometimes as I end up with too much on my plate, but it’s just the way I am.Three years ago when I was diagnosed...

Profundity Is Not On Today’s Menu

Profundity Is Not On Today’s Menu

I had great aspirations to write a high-quality bipolar-themed blog post last weekend.  I envisioned typing a few paragraphs filled with a pearl of wisdom or two that I’ve learned since I started recovering from bipolar depression.It ain’t gonna happen....

Resilience

I at first didn’t even know how to spell the word, let alone understand the proper definition of it. But today, well today I made huge strides into my recovery. You see, the past two days have been rather rocky. No real particular reason why, perhaps too much...

Importance of Hospitalization

     I hope my readers are taking it day by day. Remember don’t ever let the light inside of you dim. This month’s topic I’m going to address is ”Why hospitalization is so important and what important and positive role does it play in a person’s...

Mental Health Hero

Mental Health Hero

During this year’s Mental Health Awareness month I was thrilled to be selected as a “2014 Mental Health Hero” associated with PsychCentral’s popular Mental Health Humor column!  I was chosen for this honor by advocate/cartoonist/Psych Central columnist Chato...

Therapy: How to get the most out of it

Is this your first appointment with a new therapist? If this is the case, it will take a while for you to get to know the therapist and their style, as well as for them to get to know you. Therapy is useless if there’s not positive energy both ways.  Evaluate...

More than a Label

I have found one of the most difficult aspects of having a mental illness and specifically bipolar disorder, is realizing we are much more than a diagnosis.  In fact, buying into the whole idea of “I am bipolar” instead of believing “I have bipolar,” in my...

LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL

As I was sipping a hot cup of tea in a breezy evening, for the first time, I could feel the calmness in my soul as the wind touched my face. For so long, I had been struggling to feel this way. I had never felt this way. What was this calmness? I wondered. It was as...

A new mattress

This Monday I cried tears of joy for the first time in many years.  Probably since my diagnosis, thirteen years ago.  I didn’t even cry at my wedding, and my husband is everything to me.  So what made me weep openly with happiness?  A new...

I Have Bipolar Disorder

My name is Doreen. My psychiatrist says I have bipolar disorder. Some people say I don’t have bipolar disorder. Sometimes I believe them.I have had one full psychotic break, one manic episode with milder psychotic symptoms, and one short-lived manic...

Medicating While Pregnant

Over at PsychCentral, I’ve been running a series on postpartum depression and having bipolar while pregnant. I think it’s important to reach out to mother’s who are struggling with the decision of what to do while they are pregnant or if they...

My Bipolar Isn’t Severe Enough

When I got into advocacy work, public speaking, and blogging, I knew there would be people who disagreed with me and even disliked me altogether. I am familiar with pop culture references to “haters” and I know the comment section can be a difficult place to get...

Against the Odds

When I was in the beginning stages of being diagnosed bipolar most people wrote me off. They thought this girl’s out of school, she can’t keep a job and she certainly cannot contribute to society. I was a self-fulfilling prophecy in a sense I thought I was worthless...

THE FURRY ANTIDEPRESSANT

As of this writing, I will be welcoming a puppy into our home tonight. Our family is totally freaking out about our new addition in the best way possible! And now more than ever, I believe in “furry antidepressants”.  Please allow me to...

The Importance of Placement in a Crisis

       A couple of months ago I read a very enlightening article in my city’s newspaper. This article caught my attention right away because of the title; it literally jumped off the page at me, “We need Taunton State...

CRAZY

“We’re never gonna survive, unless, we get a little crazy” Seal, “Crazy”I used to love listening to Seal sing “Crazy” on my VW Jetta’s stereo while driving up and down San Francisco’s steep hills, a fitting backdrop for such a song. One must drive differently in...

Bipolar Has Been A Blessing

I know many of you are scratching your heads and wondering if someone sane could actually make such a statement. But in my eyes, bipolar has been a blessing in many ways. I have learned a lot about myself and how to manage this illness well enough to be an author, a...

The Journey from Despair to Aware

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. It got me thinking about when I was first aware of my own mental illness.For me, it came on gradually. As a middle school kid, I battled waves of sadness. It didn’t help that I was bullied mercilessly. As I got older, the...

Relationships

Relationships are a difficult thing to navigate, especially when you suffer from depression. If you are one of the fortunate people that has found perhaps a handful of people that understand your pain, your mood swings, and your sadness, consider yourself...

It’s My Birthday

It’s my birthday. I’m 37 today. I have lived with the diagnosis of bipolar disorder for eight years. In that time, literally almost every permutation of the disease has been applied to my particular state. Early-onset but undiagnosed. ...

New Phone?

While my blog started out as a place to vent and rave I have discovered that by just regurgitating my daily events I am no longer getting much out of it. As a result I have decided to change my blog into a more ‘self-help’ place where I can share my...

That’s Not Bipolar

In my role as a mental illness speaker and blogger, I receive a lot of comments and questions. The one item that stands out is that there is a lot of confusion over what bipolar disorder is and what it isn’t.Many folks believe that bipolar disorder is just a more...

Black Box – To Bash or Not to Bash?

Black Box – To Bash or Not to Bash?

Last week while on Facebook I spotted an International Bipolar Foundation post about the new ABC television series Black Box premiering Thursday, which features a doctor living with bipolar disorder. ABC’s Black Box overview is:“The twenty-first...

Co-existing Disease

As you may have noticed I haven’t been keeping up with my blog. Unfortunately I’ve been dealing with multiple hospitalizations for my bipolar disorder as well as my eating disorder. I was at John Hopkins from June-September 2013, and was at the Princeton Eating...

Stigma from the Source

Stigma from the Source

“Stigma = a mark of disgrace or infamy; a stain or reproach, as on one’s reputation”I was diagnosed with postpartum bipolar disorder in October of 2007, six weeks after the birth of my second daughter.  I was thirty-seven-years-old when I...

Medication Adjustments and Withdraws

I’m so happy it’s the middle of the week already! Nothing major or stressful has happened, but I’m looking forward to the kiddos having a three day weekend. No stress in getting everyone around in the morning for three days will be nice. Believe me, I’m happy I don’t...

The rainbow after the storm: This Is My Brave

The rainbow after the storm: This Is My Brave

As I sit in my parked car outside the grocery store where I just grabbed a cup of Starbucks to fuel my writing, the rain pounds my windshield, coming down in sheets with such force the car is shaking. It’s the kind of rain where it blurs the driver’s view of the road,...

Freaked to Meet with my PDOC

I never knew what “pdoc” meant until I was diagnosed with bipolar one disorder, and learned that it’s a shorthand term used for psychiatrists by those in the bipolar community.My pdoc is wonderful.  Out of the myriad of doctors I’ve seen...

I’m not Just Surviving, I’m living with Hope

        Good afternoon readers, I hope this entry finds you fighting to keep going. Because I truly believe with all my heart every precious life has such Value in this world, and I want to offer you as much encouragement as I...

Six and a half year itch – Part Three

This is the third blog in a series about a recent psychiatric hospital stay that I had in December of 2013.  To read the first post click here. On the second day of my hospital stay last December, I had a big realization.  I was not on ANY...

End of the Day

For the past twenty years I’ve been a closet songwriter. During my first year attending the University of California at Santa Cruz, I was a regular at open mike night and I belonged to my school’s Concert Choir.  Our final concert was an exotic piece sung...

I Need To Hold It Together

Recently my seven year old was rushed to the emergency room. In the past two weeks this kid has been poked with needles, had ultrasounds done, been seen by numerous doctors, and is scheduled for more tests to figure out what has caused her medical issues and how...

As a Bipolar Mom

As a bipolar Mom, I truly believe that parents that are coping with bipolar disorder have an extra obstacle that they must overcome at times. They must learn how to manage their own illness when they are symptomatic and still be effective parents. I think for most of...

Dogs: Your Baby, Psychiatrist, & Friend

Here’s a photo of my dog, Maggie. She’s one years old. I love her like she’s my baby. I can’t begin to tell you how much she has helped me and my Bipolar Disorder. One day last summer, the local weatherman said we were in the “dog days of summer”....

Sleep that Knits

Sleep that Knits

Sleep that knits up the raveled sleeve of care – gimme some!I’ve always loved the very sound of the famous Shakespearean line from Macbeth:”Sleep that knits up the raveled sleeve of care.”Although I have a degree in English literature and I...

Relief & Denial – My First Two Steps

At the age of 16, I was in a serious car accident and suffered a concussion. Within two weeks after the accident, something about me was different.Step 1: ReliefAt the age of 27, during my first psychiatric hospitalization, I was diagnosed with Bipolar...

GO AHEAD; EVERYBODY ELSE DOES!

We probably all feel this way at times.  Hopefully you will not mind too much that this is another self-portrait.  Now, if I could just figure out which bird I am today… This is another painting from my series entitled “Bipolar...

Point of Acceptance

I’m just going to babble here! For most of you that have read my blog posts you know I’m good at that!The last 2 years have been a battle for me and in the end, when I look at the big picture of it all I almost lost that battle. I almost gave in and gave...

Our Brains Are Tougher Than We Think

Our Brains Are Tougher Than We Think

Recently I struggled with writer’s block.  I really wanted to have the satisfaction of writing something meaningful, though, so I sat down and fumbled in front of my computer.  Facebook was calling my name, but I told it to buzz off!  I...

Awareness through the Eyes of Van Gogh

We all know the importance of mental health awareness, and doing our part of erasing the stigma that still surrounds Disorders like Bipolar. As March 30th approaches which is World Bipolar Day, it’s also Van Gogh’s birthday who is a well known Dutch impressionist...

Mommy Has A Bug In Her Brain

Trying to explain Bipolar Disorder to a three year old and a five year old was one of the hardest things I have ever done. How was I going to put this into words that they could understand? Telling them that I was in the hospital because I was tired was more...

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